Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 203, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 September 1918 — IN HUN PRISON THREE YEARS [ARTICLE]

IN HUN PRISON THREE YEARS

Doctor Beland, Once Canada’s Postmaster General, Cannot See Dying Wife. EXCHANGED AFTER DELAY Says Kaiser Envies Hindenburg Popularity and Tries to Appropriate His Victories—Saw Capture of Antwerp. An Atlantic Port.—After being kept in a German prison for three years Dr. Henri Severin Beland, postmaster general of Canada under Premier Wilfrid Laurier, and who lives at Beauce, in the province of Quebec, arrived here, accompanied by his. daughter, Miss Jeannette, who was held in Belgium by the Germans while her father was in Germany. A<Jded to the sufferings of his Imprisortment was the death of his wife in Belgium after he had been locked up for 18 months. His jailers refused to allow him to go from Berlin to see her when she was dying. The news of his wife’s death was withheld from him for 11 days, and he was only given the date after he had begged to be allowed to go to her funeral, to show that It was too late. Doctor Beland was only postmaster general for two months in 1911 when the Laurier administration wtfs defeated over the reciprocity question. It was because he had held this political appointment that the Huns would not permit him to leave Germany, two years ago when arrangements wefre made between that country and Great Britain for the exchange of civilian prisoners more than forty-five years old. During the three years he lost 20 pounds In weight, and his luxuriant black, hair became thin and turned gray. The only occupations he had were to attend the prisoners and the officials of the prison when they were ill and to learn to speak, read, apdwrife German fluently. He was finally released in exchange for the ’Brother of Prince von Bulow, who was the head of the Krupp Gun Company in London before the war. The doctor was in northern France In August, 1914, and his wife was stopping at their estate in Cappellen, near Antwerp. He promptly offered his services as surgeon to the Belgian

army and was with them in the fighting at Liege. From that city he went to Antwerp and was there when the British expedition sent out by Winston Churchill arrived In October of that year. He saw the city captured by the Huns in October. Doctor Beland continued to live with his wife at Cappellen until she; converted the house Into a Red Cross hospital and trained herself as a nurse. The doctor talked slowly and stopped occasionally to think of his word's. He explained that, like the majority of the prisoners he had met, he was suffering from loss of memory caused by his long Imprisonment, which had Interfered with the receptiveness of the organs In the brain. “Up to May 12, 1915,” the doctor said, “I practiced medicine among the po_or in Antwerp and my wife carried on the Red Cross hospital at Cappellen. Then the German commandant sent an officer to tell me that I was to be interned. When I pointed out that physicians practicing as civilians were immune from Internment the Hun officer replied that I was not receiving fees from my patients. I was arrested and taken to the Grand hotel, which was used as a military headquartersand residence of the staff officers In Antwerp. After three days I was sent to Berlin and locked up in the Stadtvogel prison. v

“The prison fare was rough, consisting chiefly of black bread, greasy soup and potatoes. This did not trouble me as I received parcels of food and supplies weekly from London. The treatment was about as good as It generally is in places of that kind. “When, after two years’ confinement, I wns allowed to walk In the park opposite Garden strasse In Berlin, I was not allowed to speak to any person. One afternoon I took my escort to luncheon at the Hotel Bristol on the Unter den Linden, which has not changed its name. The Piccadilly restaurant, I noticed, had been converted Into the Vaterland. Another time I saw a crowd running and, looking In their direction, I saw an automobile go by containing Hindenburg and his staff officer. He Is the -Idol of the German people and more popular than the kaiser. Ludendorff Is regarded as a strong man all over Germany, but never takes the trouble to make himself popular. He does not care what the people think about him so long as they do as they are told. “The kaiser envies Hindenburg’s popularity,, and whenever the Huns gain, a victory he hurries to the side of the marshal and Issues bulletins and sends telegrams to the kalserln, so that the people belleye It Is the kalseF who has gained a victory. All this time my daughter Jeannette was in Belgium livlng'with the family of my late wife at Cappelen, and three times I tried to reach her, first through the United States minister at Brussels and after America entered the war through the. Spanish minister. It was no use. She was not molested, however, but was allowed to join me in Holland .after I was free.”